Hello! We are Alice and Fred, the founders of Panoramic Pathways. We have been traveling as time and budget will allow for more than 25 years. If we are not on a trip, we are planning the next one! Our approach to travel has always included careful planning and a balance between cost, risk, adventure, and authentic local experiences. Fred loves photography and has taken 50,000+ photos, some of which are shared in our destination posts.
Learning to Love Travel
We both grew up in the southeastern United States and never ventured far as children. When Alice was 17, she was invited to spend a summer with family friends in Germany. Her mind was blown by how “different” Europe was from the surrounds of her childhood … and how old. She saw the Swiss Alps and visited Rothenburg, Germany, walking on its 900+ year-old walls.
She caught the travel bug and shared it with Fred as we began our life together. Fred got his first real camera in 1986 and began capturing our escapades on film.
Conquering Fear / Expanding Our Comfort Zones
We are not daunted by unfamiliar territory, or afraid to go outside our “comfort zone.” Whether traveling as a couple, or with our four children when they were young, we have often ventured independently and bravely into uncharted territory. Our trips are also typically active (eg, hiking and snorkeling).
We took our children on unconventional family vacations, including a month-long campervan trip in Australia, and tent camping in Hawaii, Alaska, and Yellowstone National Parks.
We planned and executed an independent, self-guided trip to Belize in 2005, traveling with four kids ages 6 – 10. We stayed in unique, sometimes spartan accommodations such as a primitive cabin in the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve and a treehouse in Bullet Tree Falls. At the time we took this trip, we could not find much information online about Belize, and yet we went forth fearlessly.
We have had good times, funny times, and bad times. Try schlepping through Alaska with four teenagers, sleeping in tents and enduring rainy, windy weather! Despite our dedication to “roughing it,” we have sometimes, when a morale boost was needed, folded up the tents partway through a trip, opting for a hotel or condo.
Trip Planning
We discovered that we love trip planning almost as much as traveling. It can be fun! We have spent countless hours researching activities, logistics, and budget.
And we love to travel together in our own unique style. Since the start of our marriage, we have sought out world class travel destinations in Europe, Australia, and North and Central America.
We also travel independently, planning and executing trips ourselves. While we use external sources such as guidebooks, we do not take pre-packaged trips.
Moreover, as much as possible, we minimize travel costs so that we can afford more trips!
How Often We Travel
We don’t travel full-time, but typically enjoy one “big” trip per year. Interspersed with the big trips, we take shorter ones, or excursions that require less intensive planning. While our journeys may vary in type, distance-to-destination, and number of days, they are always full of adventure!
We Show You…
With careful planning, and by thinking outside the box of cookie cutter trips, you can:
- access more and better destinations than you thought possible;
- save money; and
- have more freedom to set your own agenda and pace.
We hope our blog is a big help as you plan your adventures, whether you need information about a destination, ideas for new destinations, or creative ways to travel.
Please see our other pages to learn more.
To learn about how we travel, see the About Panoramic Pathways page.
For Travel Tips, see… Tips .
Alice and Fred live in Atlanta, GA, where Fred works in Research & Development and Alice volunteers her time with a variety of organizations and works on this blog. Fred loves to run, and Alice has been a member of her local Crossfit gym for more than 15 years. We love being outdoors, whether camping, hiking, running, or just working in our yard. We are also active members of our church, where we seek to serve Christ and His world.